Proust's madeleine
While I often go fishing large biotopes, rivers, lakes, during the whole season, I always feel as much pleasure to find this small stream and its wild and healthy fish, even if they are of modest size. A sort of Proust's madeleine, in short.
And the literary analogy is particularly meaningful since it is precisely the river to which Marcel Proust refers in his work under the name of "Vivone", actually designating the Loir. I have a special bond with this river because it is the one that saw me grow up as a fisherman, and quickly, as a lure fisherman. A UL rod, a few lures, a hat, a pair of boots and here I am, pacing the banks!
Late fall, early winter transition
I particularly like the atmosphere that emerges at this time of year, the dry cold, the low light of the sun throughout the dayâeuros¦ Considering that we had a very dry autumn (and more widely a cruel lack of rain on the year), the level of the river is low and the water very clear. The trees have left their coat of leaves that now cover the bottom of the river, and at the same time making some spots accessible.
Behavior of the fish
Small streams are very lively so that the bottom is strongly shaped by the current movements moving the riverbed, the deepest area, to the right or to the left, forming deeper basins at the foot of trees in particular. The fish will inevitably be found in these deeper areas.
As winter approaches, the water cools and the fish gather. Marked spots, corresponding essentially to the root systems of trees, dead wood and logjams carried by the floods of the previous years, where until now only a few fish were entrenched, can now hold schools of about ten fish.
Cold weather will also affect fish behavior. If the perch are not yet cold transitioning as in the heart of winter, they are hunting less than in early fall. Simply put, they are still moving around but less...
Approach Finesse of rigor
The most productive fishing will therefore be a fishing of submerged obstacles, of crowded edges, the idea being to go and find the fish and not to make them come to us. Moreover, it will be imperative to adapt to the change of mood of the fish, that passing in particular by the fact of presenting its lure in the most precise, natural and fine way possible, which more is in clear waters. We will discuss the technical aspects in more detail in the following article.
